|
09 May 00 - 07:58 AM (#225118) Subject: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: kendall For all you Ramblin' Jack fans, I had dinner with Jack last night, then we hung out and jammed all evening. He didn't know about the Mudcat, so, I told him. |
|
09 May 00 - 08:08 AM (#225120) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Allan C. He will be the featured artist at the Florida Folk Festival which, I am sad to say, Bill and David C. and I will probably miss by a few hours. See more about the festival here. |
|
09 May 00 - 08:54 AM (#225131) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Peter T. Does someone like Ramblin' Jack own a computer? (sort of goes against the persona, I would have thought.... yours, Peter T. |
|
09 May 00 - 09:05 AM (#225133) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: McGrath of Harlow "Ramblin' Jack Elliott" says the threads headline - "Oh no, he's dead" I think. Then I finf he's living and well...
It's a nice surprise - but it's save a few sad momenrts if we headed these threads "So and So is OK" or something like that.
I remember when Jack was a regular at Ewan McColl's Ballads & Blues Club in Soho, London around 1960 or a bit before. You'd never think that combination would work, but it did. |
|
09 May 00 - 09:13 AM (#225140) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler Peter T's post conjures up a lovely image of Ramblin'Jack riding the rods with his satellite phone and his laptop along with his guitar! I often replay his recordings with Cisco Houston of Woody Guthrie songs . RtS |
|
09 May 00 - 09:20 AM (#225142) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Easy Rider Is that all, Kendall? What a tease! Tell us more about what you two said and did. I saw Jack, in NY, last year, and enjoyed the show very much. |
|
09 May 00 - 12:53 PM (#225258) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: GUEST,kendall We met at the home of a mutual friend who runs a B&B in Portland. There was a guest from Japan there, and Jack had done a tour of Japan, so, he had a few stories to tell. We ate at a Japanese restaurant and swapped stories all around. When he said he was looking for a gudgeon for his dinghy,, we all got a good laugh because we knew how odd that must sound to the next table. No, he does not mess with computers, but, his wife to be does. He was suffering from a back problem and had to visit a chiropractor, and and, I dont know!! we just let fly with the BS. Is Easy Rider a woman? |
|
09 May 00 - 01:56 PM (#225300) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Easy Rider "Gypsy woman told my mother, before I was born. Got a boy child coming, gonna be a son of a gun. Gonna make all the women want to jump and shout. World's gonna know what he's all about. I'm a MAN. Yes indeed I am." |
|
09 May 00 - 02:07 PM (#225307) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: catspaw49 This thread makes me think that within my life I've lived several. Different experiences, different jobs, different people. I would never trade it, but I also wish I could live 100 more lives.....different jobs, experiences, people, and even different times too. No matter how happy I am and how satisfied I am with my life, I will always feel gypped out of something else. Probably doesn't make sense does it? Spaw |
|
09 May 00 - 05:48 PM (#225459) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Giac Thanks, Kendall. It's good to hear something positive about an artist whose records I have worn out over the years.
'spaw: forgawdsake, I was just thinkin' you were giac |
|
09 May 00 - 06:01 PM (#225466) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: DADGBE Last time I ran into Jack, he was in his yard fixing a dinghy. Wonder if it's the same one he needs a gudgeon for? Yup, he's alive and well and kickin' and as fine a musician as he ever was. |
|
09 May 00 - 06:47 PM (#225494) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: GUEST The reason I thought you were a woman is because that is the kind of question I used to get from my wife. Only she needed a verbatim report. Drove me nuts!! |
|
09 May 00 - 07:22 PM (#225520) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: GUEST,CBJames It's wonderful to know Jack's alive & well - but this thread's gettin' abit foolish so .... "Good night, little dogies, good night -- Good night, little dogies, good night -- Sleep, sleep, sleepy, Sleep tight, sleep tight Good night, little dogies, good night." I always sang that to My kids (till they got too old). Their other favourite Ramblin' Jack song wus "Along about Eighteen twenty five" I daresay he might want to be remember for other songs, but those were the ones that got passed along. Jack, if you ever do get a computer hooked up to read this, THANKS! The Young Brigham album is all I know you by but between my own sibs and my children, it's given songs to the family. And more than just those two occasiolnally pop up and get sung - mostly when I chop fire wood. Happy Sails! James |
|
09 May 00 - 07:33 PM (#225525) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Willie-O If he needs a gudgeon I got one out back in the shed--or does it have to fit a particular pintle? Graffiti spotted, at least 25 years ago, in the washroom at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa: "Ramblin' Jack could be 105 for all I know!"
Don't worry McGrath, he'll outlive us all... Willie-O |
|
09 May 00 - 07:47 PM (#225530) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: BanjoRay The fine old late North East England traditional singer Jack Elliott of Birtley used to introduce himself as Stumblin' Jack Elliott. Cheers Ray |
|
10 May 00 - 06:39 AM (#225705) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Billy the Bus Kendall, Thanks for the thread. Next time any of you good folk, who know him, get to see Ramblin' Jack, get him to sing "Muleskinner Blues" for his "furthest fan" (who never saw him). I've got it on one of my LPs, but the version I remember most, I only heard a few times - either a tape someone had from a Folk Festival, or a clear red-plastic, 10" Stinson LP, with RJ, Cisco, Guthrie, Leadbelly, Seeger (Pete), Lomax etc. Sounded like it was recorded live at a party - got wilder and wilder. Anyway, Ramblin' Jack's last yodel went on for-eeeevvvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrrrr. Finally - applause - couple more bars - then "I was j'st waitin' on ya". Best bit of TIC I ever did hear. I'll swear he didn't take a breath either. What a man Ramblin' Jack must be to know personally! Mind you, I learnt a few runs from him (2nd hand) - from Malcolm Price, who larned 'em off-of Jack, in the London days McGrath was talking of. [Sidetrack] McGrath - you'd know Malcolm (& Redd Sullivan)? They were both "Resident Artist" at the "Poles Apart Folk Club" in Auckland (NZ) in 1967. If you run into them, say "G'day from Sam". The "Poles" was run by Curly & Stacey del Monte, whom you probably also "wot of" McG? Last seen in Auckland, best part of a decade back. I've just checked the NZ "White Pages". They aren't there - trust they are back in your neck of the woods...:(
Spaw - youse and me is always Ramblin' - I'll do some pickin' with ya "next time round" cobber - doubt we'll make it this innings
ANYONE - if you have the Stinson LP I rambled about above, please let me know. I'm sure I can flog a couple or three Yankee Dollars off a passing tourist to send, so you can mail me a cassette of it. Only heard it a few times 35 years back. It was magic!
Kendall, Dadgbe - give us more about the real guy - please!
Cheers - Sam
|
|
10 May 00 - 07:23 AM (#225717) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: kendall I must confess, I really dont know him well on a personal level. I've known about him for years, met him at a party 15 years ago, and that was it until the other night when my friend Eva Horton called to say Jack was staying at her B&B, and, that he wanted to meet me. Sorry, I cant give you much more than that. |
|
10 May 00 - 11:39 AM (#225844) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: DADGBE Can't say as I know the man, hardly. Like for the rest of the folks in this string, he looms somewhat larger than life to me too. Some recollections... I was doing sound for Jack at a club (since defunct) in Sebastopol, California. I managed to hit him and the audience with a blast of feedback...embarrassing to say the least. Without hesitation, as soon as the noise stopped, he launched into a wonderful story about Herbert, his pet mouse who lives in the speaker and causes feedback. That man's a pure professional and I've never seen him lose audience control under any circumstances. Another time I was driving the scenic 2-lane boonies along the coast and saw a car for sale by the side of the road. It was old and ratty and looked like something I might be able to afford so I knocked on the door and there was Jack. The dinghy was in the back yard and he was busy working on it. He was busy and wasn't sure he had time to spend so he put on a tape and asked me who was singing. When I was able to identify Woody Guthrie's singing, he relaxed and we had a delightful chat. |
|
10 May 00 - 02:56 PM (#225967) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Peter T. Catspaw (warning: thread creep): did you ever see the Star Trek episode (second bunch) where Patrick Stewart gets zonked by a strange satellite and has a completely different life added to the one he was already having? Perhaps my all time favourite episode -- very thoughtful, very upsetting. yours, Peter T. |
|
20 May 00 - 06:15 PM (#231141) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Stefan Wirz Basics of a Ramblin' Jack Elliott discography are online at http://www.wirz.de/music/elliodsc.htm Additions/Corrections are much appreciated ! |
|
20 May 00 - 06:28 PM (#231143) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: katlaughing And he will be a guest on Prairie Home Companion tonight, and if you are lucky, again tomorrow because my NPR station runs the program twice! kat |
|
20 May 00 - 06:32 PM (#231147) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: katlaughing Sorry, forgot this: you can listen to the show and/or watch a "netcast" by clicking this: |
|
20 May 00 - 06:34 PM (#231148) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: katlaughing Darn, got so excited, I messed it up! Here ya go: Click here |
|
20 May 00 - 09:49 PM (#231218) Subject: RE: BS: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Art Thieme Peter T, The episode of Star Trek you described is called THE INNER LIGHT and it's always been my favorite of all---any generation. I caught an hour of Pr. Home Comp. tonight and I simply couldn't believe it how they slighted Jack E. My God, I mean they had paid to have him there and then let him do one damn song and cut off his last one. Garrison went on and on and on with that silly Lake Wonderkind crap that has kept me turning off the show in the middle for the last 5 years or more. And that stupid stuff that passes for theatrical comedy is just inane... But maybe there was more to the show where Jack sang a whole set---but I'll be pleasantly surprised if that is the case. Art Thieme |
|
23 Jul 25 - 05:21 PM (#4226133) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: The Sandman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1z18dPWFfo |
|
30 Jul 25 - 02:49 PM (#4226450) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Mark Ross Jack turns 94 on the 1st. The energizer bunny of folk musi. Long may he wave. |
|
31 Jul 25 - 12:56 AM (#4226469) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: GUEST,PHJim I love Jack's recorded work and have many songs in my repertoire that were learned from Jack's records. His version of "Don't Think Twice" is my all time favourite (Sorry Bob.) BUT, I have only seen Jack live once, at the Freetimes Cafe on College Street in Toronto. It was the worst show I have ever paid money to see. Jack started out drunk and ordered more tequilas during the night. He forgot words to songs and messed 'em up in other ways. We had been invited to a party after the show and since Jack was gonna be there, I was pretty excited, but after seeing the show, we decided to go home. I still love Jack and hope that this was a one off. |
|
31 Jul 25 - 01:02 AM (#4226470) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: GUEST,PHJim Christine Lavin's song about Ramblin; Jack |
|
31 Jul 25 - 05:40 AM (#4226481) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: wendyg If you haven't seen it, Ramblin' Jack's daughter's documentary about him is excellent. wg |
|
01 Aug 25 - 12:50 AM (#4226547) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: GUEST,PHJim The liner notes on Jack's first LP, written by Shel Silverstein are worth the price of the album even if there is no record in the jacket. Luckily, mine still has the record and it's a wonderful one. The supporting musicians are not credited, (at least not on my copy) but I'm sure I hear John Herald, Ian Tyson and Sylvia Fricker. There's a nice banjo backup on Sowin' On The Mountain. I just Googled the album and discovered this: Ramblin' Jack Elliott's first LP, "Ramblin' Jack Elliott," featured a diverse group of musicians, including Bill Lee on bass, banjo player Erik Darling, John Herald on guitar, and Eric Weissberg on bass. Additionally, John Hammond Jr. and Bob Dylan, under the pseudonym Tedham Porterhouse, contributed harmonica. Ian & Sylvia also appeared on the album. |
|
01 Aug 25 - 01:26 AM (#4226549) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Joe Offer PHJim, if you'd like to post those notes here, that would be a true service to humankind. -Joe- |
|
01 Aug 25 - 01:55 PM (#4226582) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Mark Ross Just talked to Jack on the phone. 94, whew, he's got to be the Energizer Bunny of Folk Music! |
|
01 Aug 25 - 02:16 PM (#4226583) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: Reinhard PHJim, which exactly is this *first* LP? Your description - list of musicians, notes by Shel Silverstein - seems to indicate the Vanguard Album VRS-9151 "Jack Elliott", not "Ramblin' Jack Elliott", from 1964, and it is listed on Discogs as his *sixteenth* release. |
|
01 Aug 25 - 02:51 PM (#4226584) Subject: Album Notes: Jack Elliott (Vanguard VRS-9151) From: Reinhard The OCR'd liner notes of this album: Jack Elliott accompanying himself on guitar and mouth harp Vanguard VRS-9151 Side One 1. Roving Gambler with Bill Lee. bass 2. Will the Circle Be Unbroken with Erik Darling, banjo, Tedham Porterhouse, mouth harp, Bill Lee, bass 3. Diamond Joe 4. Guabi Guabi with Eric Weissberg, bass. John Herald, Ian Tyson and Monte Dunn, guitars. Sylvia Fricker, beads 5. Sowing on the Mountain with Erik Darling, banjo 6. Roll On Buddy with John Hammond, mouth harp; Bill Lee, bass Side Two 1. 1913 Massacre 2. House of the Rising Sun 3. Shade of the Old Apple Tree 4. Black Snake Moan with Bill Lee. bass 5. Portland Town 6. More Pretty Girls Now this album is supposed to be the best of Jack Elliott and maybe it is a very good album but it certainly isn't the best of Jack Elliott. The best of Jack Elliott is Jack Elliott—I don’t mean the things he has to say when you meet him ’cause Jack loves to talk about square riggers which he knows a little about and Mack trucks which he knows a lot about and line drawing which he knows almost nothing about or other things that will bore the hell out of you. Jack speaks very slowly and it takes him a long time to tell a boring story which only makes it twice as bad—but the best part of Jack Elliott is watching him—I first met Jack when I was in Rome in 1957. I used to eat in a cheap restaurant called Taverna Margutta which is on the Via Margutta which is one block from the Piazza D’Espagna. Joe Fazzio and Franco the Guitar Player and Wally King the Ex-Piano player and myself used to hang out there almost every night along with some Italian dentist but I don’t remember his name And we’d sit and booze it up so then the food wouldn't taste so bad and then we’d go down to the Trevi Fountain and try to pick up English girl tourists who were making wishes and throwing those idiotic coins in the fountain. The Margutta was supposed to be an artists' restaurant but I never saw any artists hang out there. Artists generally have to find a cheaper place in a so called artists' hang out. Any way, I came out of there one night and I was pretty bombed because I was singing out loud and I fell right into this table outside where this guy and this girl were sitting and they were both wearing those thick grey English turtle neck sweaters and I figured they were English or German but the guy just asked me if I knew Wabash Cannon Ball and so I sat down and we sang Wabash Cannon Ball and that was Jack Elliott and we've been friends ever since. But. I can't say that it has been a particularly relaxing friendship. Now, the girl at the table was June Elliott who was Jack's wife at the time but she wasn’t really just Jack’s wife-—she was his everything-—his agent, general business and personal manager, and his hat passer, the motor scooter navigator. Now this is no easy task even for a girl like June who is a pretty tough cookie because Jack is the kind of guy who will take an hour and a half to put on his pants after he has one leg on and if he can’t find his pants it might take a whole weekend so it was June’s job to tell him where his pants were and his boots and dust off his cowboy hat because Jack says that one thing about a real cowboy is that he never lets his hat get dusty and every night we’d make the rounds of the different restaurants and maybe go over to the Via Veneto and go down to Brick Tops or some place like that and June would make sure Jack had his finger picks and that he knew what songs he was going to sing and that his hair was combed and that his fly was zupped up and while he was singing she would just sit and hold an extra set of strings in case he broke one and after he got through she would pass the hat around and then we’d go somewhere to eat and she would portion out the money— so much for supper—so much for Petrol—so much for heels for Jack’s boots—they generally slept on somebody’s floor so they didn't have to worry too much about rent. Now, at this time they were staying with a family named McIntyre and they were Americans and he had a job with the Embassy or something like that and they let Jack and June stay at their house and in return for this Jack would entertain at Mrs. McIntyre’s parties and sing songs for the birthday parties for the McIntyre’s kids and so forth. One of the kids was a little boy and the boy had a little small model square rigger and Jack had promised he would rig the boat for him but he never seemed to get around to it. I had been pretty impressed with Jack's singing, especially songs like San Francisco Bay and I Got a Woman which I had never heard before and which he told me was sung by a guy named Ray Charles who I had never even heard of because I had been out of the country for a long time. Anyway, 1 decided to buy a guitar because I felt it would be less lonely having a guitar. So I got myself this six string inlaid banjo thing which has about the worst sound you have ever heard and I took it up to Jack to tune it for me and write me down a few chords. It didn’t have a case I had to get over to Jack’s in a hurry that night because in a few hours he and June were leaving for Greece or Turkey and when I got there they were in their typical state of confusion. June was packing and Jack was alternating between fixing his boot and practicing some new run on his guitar. Jack treats his guitar like a human being and June told me when they first got married Jack wanted to keep the guitar in bed with them because that was the way he was used to sleeping but she finally convinced him to put it in the case which probably disillusioned him a lot about marriage. Anyway, June kept screaming at Jack to hurry and Jack kept saying he couldn’t find something or another and I brought him a drawing pad as a going away present but June said it was too big and he couldn't carry it on the scooter and Jack said he wanted it and I said it was only 9x12 and June said hurry up and pack because they were going to miss the boat and I kept telling Jack to write down the C chord and Jack didn’t know exactly what a C chord was until he looked it up on his fingers so he had to pick up the guitar and he remembered he hadn't finished rigging the boat for the McIntyre kid and started looking around for his thread and June started screaming they were going to miss the boat and I asked Jack to write down an F chord and June screamed that they only had an hour to get the boat and it would take at least six hours to rig the boat and they had to leave right now and Jack screamed that he had to rig the boat and June screamed that he couldn't rig the boat and Jack stood up and he clenched his fists and squinted his eyes and he was practically crying and he said "I never finished anything in my whole life.” I could explain this but I hope I don't have to. A couple of years later I saw them in New York for about a week and I didn’t see Jack again until about another year later. Then one day he came over to my house and he was wearing his black cowboy hat which he always wore and that sheepskin jacket that he loves and he was carrying his guitar and he had some old friend of his with him. He told me June was in Japan doing some work in the movies and he had gotten a couple of letters from her and he wanted me to read them. I saw that they were in English but he said he wanted me to "translate” them but they were in English but he wanted to get my opinion on them and what they meant. So the first letter said "Dear Jack, whats the news about the divorce, please take care of it as soon as possible, signed June” and I said he didn't need a translation on that one, he said read the second one—"Jack exclamation point where the hell is that divorce. I want it now exclamation point, signed June," —so I said to Jack I don't think you need any translation of these letters. She wants a divorce. And Jack said “you’re obviously missing the whole point ’cause if you look close you’ll see that in the first letter she says, 'dear Jack' which means she still cares about me" and with that he put on his hat and picked up his guitar and he and his friend walked out, probably looking for someone who could give him a better translation. Jack suffered with this whole scene for a while and then finally he met Patti and I guess she took over the duties of hat dusting and gasoline buying but by now he was buying gasoline for a second hand telephone service truck which he still drives around and they were having a pretty good time until they decided to get married. 1 was best man at the wedding which I guess was last summer and Jack and Patti and me and a girl named Sandy who was maid of honor we all piled into a taxi and went down to City Hall and it was raining and it was a very nice wedding because I had never seen a civil service ceremony before and there was no bull about it and no mumbo jumbo, they just tell you you are married and that’s it and the next thing you know you are back outside in the rain again. Anyway, the price was four bucks and I said I would pick up the tab because I figured I never treated anybody to a wedding before so I picked up the tab and I laid down the four bucks but I guess it wasn’t a very good investment because about three months later Jack rang my bell and he was wearing his cowboy hat and that sheepskin jacket and he was carrying his guitar and had an old friend with him and he tells me he has a letter that he wants me to translate. So that’s the way it goes with Jack Elliott and he is still wearing the black cowboy hat and sheepskin jacket and I don’t know what girl is his personal manager right now but he’s still riding around in that old telephone service truck and I hope you enjoy this record. Shel Silverstein |
|
01 Aug 25 - 03:34 PM (#4226587) Subject: RE: Ramblin' Jack Elliott From: meself Thanks for those notes, Rheinhard - what a treat! |